The Department of Justice says a New Mexico medical transportation company joined a nationwide healthcare fraud case involving $6.5 billion in false claims.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Department of Justice says a New Mexico medical transportation company joined a Nationwide Healthcare Fraud Case involving $6.5 billion in false claims.
The Department of Justice held a press conference and said it charged 455 defendants across 56 U.S. attorneys offices in 45 states and territories.
The Justice Department alleges the New Mexico non-emergency medical transportation provider SafeWay Medical Transportation fraudulently billed the New Mexico Medicaid program.
The complaint says SafeWay received reimbursement claims for trips that did not occur, inflated mileage, duplicate trips and more.
“Fraud does not have to be sophisticated to be devastating,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison said.“When healthcare providers build a business model around false claims and fabricated records, they are stealing directly from the public programs that vulnerable communities rely on. We will use every tool at our disposal to trace these funds, dismantle these operations, and claw back every dollar stolen from the public.”
The Department of Justice seeks more than $2 million tied to alleged fraud and money laundering, according to the filing announced by Attorney General Raúl Torrez and Ellison.
“These cases reflect my Office’s ongoing commitment to protecting taxpayer-funded healthcare programs, safeguarding public resources, and holding accountable those who exploit medical systems for personal gain,” said Torrez. “Through our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and partnerships with federal law enforcement agencies, we continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute healthcare fraud, prescription drug fraud, and related financial crimes.”
